Inspiring coach helping young rugby stars change their lives

From Aotearoa to the rugby fields of Brazil, Crystal Kaua’s coaching journey is remarkable given her upbringing.

Kaua, who is of Ngāpuhi, Ngā Takoto, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kurī descent, is the head coach of Brazil’s national women’s sevens rugby team, called As Yaras. She took over the position in October 2024 from English coach Will Broderick after the Paris Olympic Games.

Speaking with Tauraki Ronga on the PMN Sports show, Kaua shared how sports was her pathway to overcoming challenges in her youth.

“Sport saved me as a teenager,” she says. “I just wanted to coach so I could give back to young people.

“Sport gave me a place where I didn’t have to think about everything happening in life, I could just be in the moment and enjoy the freedom."

Growing up in a solo-parent household with a mother who lived with bipolar disorder gave Kaua a deep understanding of the challenges her players face.

"Every statistic probably says I shouldn’t be where I am today," she says. "But I love achieving things that aren't supposed to be possible, and doing it with people who aren't supposed to get there. It challenges the status quo and pushes boundaries further than before."

Before committing to professional coaching full-time, Kaua worked in a range of jobs, including at ACC and the University of Waikato, where she became a sports manager at a young age.

Kaua started her coaching career with Mie Pearls in Japan. She later joined the New Zealand Women’s coaching team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where the Black Ferns Sevens won a gold medal.

Under Crystal Kaua's stewardship, the Brazil women’s rugby sevens team clinch a historic 14-12 victory over Australia at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, on 22 February 2025. Photo/World Rugby

Later, she coached Chiefs Manawa in Super Rugby Aupiki, leading them to a runner-up finish behind Blues Women in the 2024 season.

Kaua first began coaching at 18 and has now spent more than 20 years involved in the game. Her coaching journey has taken her around the world, with professional stints in New Zealand, Japan, and now Brazil.

She shares this journey with her husband Brent, who also coaches, and their two sons.

“Raising a family while travelling the world and coaching around the world has been really challenging, but also rewarding. Our boys speak Japanese and now they’re learning Portuguese - they’re rock stars.”

Crystal Kaua with her husband and two sons, travelling the world with rugby. Photo/Facebook.

Kaua arrived in Brazil six weeks before the World Series, where she had to set up a new home, learn a new language, and get a team ready with few resources.

Even with these challenges, Brazil’s women’s team finished ninth in the World Series, their best result ever.

“To be ninth in the world when you’re a tier three rugby nation, which means you don’t have money, you don’t have competitions and you don’t have player depth, is actually incredible,” Kaua says.

“Some of our girls come from really tough backgrounds. They've been brought up in the favelas, and rugby is changing their lives just as it did mine.”

Watch Crystal Kaua's full interview below.

One of Kaua’s proudest moments was when Brazil overcame a 12-0 deficit to beat Australia. She believes this victory changed the team’s mentality.

“Before this year, they’d only ever played not to lose by too much. To play to win against one of the best teams in the world and to win, yeah, it’s definitely been a highlight.”

“Maximising the potential of a human being and doing that with many at the same time and getting them to be their best both on and off the field, that’s what keeps me in love with what I do. I’ve always wanted to change people’s lives,” she says.

Looking ahead, Kaua says she is focused on simply doing her best every day.

Brazil women’s rugby sevens team at the Singapore Sevens. Photo/Facebook.

“I just want to be the best coach I can be for the players in front of me, so they go on to be great humans and great rugby players who change other people’s lives ahead of them.”

Balancing the demands of coaching with family life is a constant challenge, but Kaua credits her husband’s unwavering support.

“Brent is probably everything that I’m not and that’s a really good thing,” she says. “I wouldn’t be where I am today in my career, but also as a mum and a wife, without the work that he does.”